PHS
Receives $1 Million for Music Program

Candace
Braun

Princeton High School will now look
even better thanks to gifts totalling $1 million that were recently
donated to Princeton Regional School District.

The two donations, each $500,000, will go toward the music program
at the high school and construction of the school's new auditorium.
The money will help the district pay for the enhancement of the
quality of sound and appearance of the room, so that it is more
similar to a concert hall.

Board of Education
President Charlotte Bialek said the district is thrilled to receive
the donations.

"We have great music programs
[at the high school], and now we're able to build a great auditorium
to support them," she said.

Ms. Bialek
explained that when the Board reworked the high school construction
and renovation plan to make it fall within budget, it was forced
to take out certain features of the planned auditorium.

The high school construction plan, part of the $81.3 million bond
referendum to renovate all six schools in the district, went out
to bid three times before a bid came within budget. In October,
the school district awarded a contract to Ernest Bock and Sons,
Inc., almost a year after construction on the other schools had
already begun. The bid was $32.8 million, still almost $3 million
over budget.

"All the bids were too high,
and we had to cut costs," said Ms. Bialek. She said that
certain features for the auditorium were put on a list of "add
alternates" until the necessary money to fund the costs was
found.

That money was found through the fundraising
efforts of the Rev. Frank Strasburger, an associate rector at
Trinity Church.

As former vice president and
facilities chairman for the Board, Rev. Strasburger said he felt
the auditorium was one of the most anticipated renovations on
the school, and he didn't want the plans to suffer because of
a lack of funds.

"When the bids came
in for the project on the high school, and it was apparent that
the auditorium was going to be stripped down from the original
plan ... I was really disappointed," he said.

Rev. Strasburger then went to Ms. Bialek privately and asked for
permission to raise funds for the auditorium.

"We will be able to do a lot more now than we would have
otherwise," said Rev. Strasburger. "It will be a performance
hall of tremendous value to the entire community."

The former Board member has helped raise funds in the past for
the high school, including $0.5 million from Princeton University
for the school's library, and $150,000 from Princeton Seminary
for the school's health suite.

The gifts,
provided by The New York Community Trust-The Scheide Fund and
an anonymous donor, will support partnerships with community groups
that want to use the high school facility. The groups include
the Princeton Symphony, the Dryden Ensemble, and the Princeton
Arts Council.

"The partnerships are related
to educational programs and facilities use," said Ms. Bialek.

She noted that while many community groups would like to use the
facility for free, the Board's facilities committee is examining
which groups will be able to use the facility at no or little
cost, and which ones will have to pay.

The
Scheide Fund, set up by Princeton philanthropist William H. Scheide,
has made numerous donations to local institutions, including the
University and the former New Jersey Opera Festival.